Kim Tarpey

Australian Ceramics Community Member

About

Kim studied when the ceramic ideals of Bernard Leach were dominant in Australian ceramics. She was, however, encouraged by Bryan Trueman, the head of the ceramics department at PIT, to pursue her sculptural ceramics. Later she discovered pre-Industrial Revolution ceramics and the Staffordshire tradition of narrative work. Kim also works as a painter and printmaker, the themes apparent in her work giving unity to the varied disciplines. She admires the work of the Antipodeans, in particular John Perceval and Arthur Boyd, their multi-disciplined output giving her assurance to work across medium. Currently she is manifesting Perceval-inspired angels to emphasize environmental concerns. Kim now works mainly in earthenware, often combining it with terracotta and uses underglaze decoration, enamels and lustres. The shards found in her old garden are a link to early ceramic traditions and she often incorporates early techniques such as slip trailing and sprigging in her work. Kim Tarpey, Uncomfortable Dingoes, 2008, earthenware with underglaze decoration; a finalist in the 2009 Yering Station Sculpture Award.